There she sat, the strange woman with the droopy mouth and feeble looking eyes.
Maybe from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn again…
Because each time I passed by, I saw her staring into space with both hands supporting her chin.
I thought she is a childless widow from Caravan
Or a witch perhaps, because she had some brownish teeth and tattered hair.
She hardly respond to greetings and whenever she does, it is quick and dry.
Twice in an hour, she stood up to drive flies perching all over her body and other times, she allow them…
A strange woman indeed with no one to call her friend or visit her house.
She hardly cook and whenever she does, it is always that stale smell renting the air.
It is always that feeling that she is pounding in an empty mortar.
I wonder who she is!
She is not old, a beautiful middle aged woman
But I can see clearly, that life has been unfair to her.
Always on that blouse which have the picture of a man on it, a fine but unsmiling man
And a faded wrapper which appeared to have seen ages.
Each time I passed by and glanced at her…
I wonder what thought gave her eyes such a dreamy look.
Because even in those feeble eyes, exudes strong ray of hope, as if she was expecting something…
Something so sure, something very precious.
Nwaka! Nwaka!! I came out to peep.
I was not the person being called, but the strange woman.
That was the day, I knew she bears the name Nwaka.
She is a human after all.
I was surprised two elderly men came to see her.
The way they called her made it obvious they have,
known her from somewhere, maybe for a long time.
I peeped harder and strain my ears to hear their voices.
I was disappointed because they conversed in low tones.
I was surprised however, for the first time, Nwaka was beaming with smiles.
She did some dance steps and I came out from my peeping place to watch her.
I was not surprised when people gathered, they must have been dumbfounded seeing the strange woman dance.
What happened?
The two elderly men took their leave immediately without raising their heads to meet our inquisitive looks.
That was the last day I saw of the strange woman.
The next day unveiled a new Nwaka.
What happened?
I woke up to the sweet aroma renting the air, I peeped again.
Nwaka was cooking and it was not the stale smell again but the aroma of a delicacy.
I salivated.
It was not the pounding in an empty mortar, Nwaka was pounding yam.
I came out and behold her in full.
She had plaited her hair into two neat cornrows.
She had changed into a fine and neat clothing, as soon she sighted me. She greeted me warmly.
I wonder what Angel visited her.
Then I heard from neighbours that her husband is returning and that was the secret behind her sudden happiness.
I was happy for Nwaka.
Her husband had left the house in search of greener pastures promising to come back in two years’ time.
But he had stayed for ten years and Nwaka had cried and cried until there was no tears left.
Though, her husband’s people tormented her life, she stayed still…
She patiently waited for her husband, on high hopes.
She waited for the man who made her a woman.
Nwaka would always say “His blood flows in my vein and my blood flows in his, he will come back to me”.
She had not been able to conceive because her husband had left to the city two days after their wedding.
She had remain faithful to her him after these years even when other men tried wooing her.
She was devastated when she heard rumors about the death of her husband but she failed to believe it.
“Until I see his dead body I will not believe the news”. She would always say.
Right now, I am truly happy for her.
Two hours later, a posh car drove into the compound. A man alighted.
His face was familiar, then I remembered the fine unsmiling man on Nwaka’s blouse.
It was him, I rushed in to call her.
Nwaka rushed out and hugged him, but his reactions hurt me. Then I noticed a woman standing next to him.
A woman with big buttocks and a wicked smile.
Nwaka’s husband took the new lady inside without saying a word to her. She stood there stupefied.
The next day, I overheard Nwaka’s voice. She was crying and speaking to her husband in a high tone.
“After waiting patiently for you Chimaobi, you have the heart to do this to me”.
I struggled to hear more.
“After ten years… she continued, but was interrupted by her husband.
“Shut up Nwakaego, I said shut up. You don’t have to blame me, besides I thought you are dead or had probably remarried.
I was hurt, deeply hurt by those words. The next morning, I saw Nwaka’s husband throwing out her things outside.
Leave my house! Leave my house! You are a bad luck to me. Leave!!! He shouted
The new woman was standing close to him caressing his chest.
Then I saw Nwaka, that look was familiar.
The strange woman with the droopy mouth and feeble looking eyes.
I saw a woman cooking stale food all the days of her life.
I saw a woman allowing flies to perch on her in a dimly-lit room.
I saw a woman with no one to call her a friend or visit her house.
Nwaka had loosened her fine cornrows. I saw a woman with the brownish teeth and tattered hair.
A woman who cherished her husband so much to have waited all these years.
A woman who had sacrificed a lot for her marriage.
A woman who had quickly changed her look and food in sweet anticipation of her dear husband.
This was heartbreaking.
Nwaka strolled out, she was too weak to speak.
Her eyes bag were red and feeble.
She take a look at her husband, at me and then at the crowd which had gathered.
Tears were pouring down her cheeks and I felt my eyes wet too.
Then she said to her husband “Chimaobi m, I unclad my body, my soul, my heart and ten years of my life for you but you covered them with ashes, posterity will judge you”.
“I said leave my house you bush woman” her husband shouted and finally push her out of the house.
He went in with his new lady and lock the door.
There was murmuring from the crowd. My eyes sting with tears.
Nwaka walked up to me and said… “I unclad my body, my soul, my heart and ten years of my life for him but he covered them with ashes, posterity will judge him”.
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
She moved towards the crowd, but stopped abruptly.
She removed her clothes, I rushed to stop her from doing so, but she pushed me with such force that I hurt my ankle.
Appearing half-naked, she carried some ashes from Usekwu (local kitchen) nearby and emptied it on her hair.
I watched in horror.
She burst into laughter, then stopped.
She started crying again mixing those ashes with her tears and rubbing it all over her pretty face.
Then she walked out of the compound shouting
“Posterity will judge you Chimaobi !”
Nwaka has run mad.
I wept.
MMESOINSPIRES
